Bee-hive



0. M. FOLTZ.

(No Model.)

BEE HIVE.

No. 304,419. Patented Sept. 2, 1884.

WITNESSES shown.

tries.

' ATENT OLIVER MARION FOLTZ, OF BERRY, ILLINOIS.

BEE-HIVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 304,4:19, dated September 2, 1884:.

Application filed March 24, 1884.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OLIVER M. FOLTZ, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Berry, in the county of Sangamon and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Bee-Hive, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawmgs.

The objects of this invention are to produce a simple, cheap, and efficient bee-hive that shall possess superior facilities for handling bees successfully and with greater profit to the bee-keeper than the hives now in use; that shall be so constructed as to allow the bees access to the entire part assigned them, and at the same time provide no harbor for moths; to dispense with the honey board or cloth used in other hives, and to so adjustably connect the parts as to give easy access to the bee-keeper to all parts of the hive; and with these objects in view it consists in the construction and novel arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims. v

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the body of the hive with the roof, honey-boxes,adjustable doors, removable bottom, and sashes for the broodcharnber removed. Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the removable bottom and sash-support. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the bee-hive. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional View, and Fig. 5 is a vertical longi tudinal sectional view.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, a designates that portion of the body of the beehive that is permanently secured together, and comprises nearly three sides of the hive. It is provided with an interior in clined ledge or bottom support, 12, extending along the rear wall horizontally, the portions 7) I) along the sides being inclined downwardly and forwardly toward the front of the hive, where they rest on a cross-bar, 1)", connecting the lower edges of the side walls at the front and project a short distance at the front, as A cross-bar, c, is secured to the front edges of the side walls, and forms the upper connection for the front of said sidewalls at a point just above the top line of the sashes in the brood-chamber. The bottom (I of the beehive is provided'near its front at the rear line of the alighting-board, e, which is made inte- (No model.)

inclined bottom (Z is provided near its rear end A with a wire supporting-frame, z, for the rear upper ends of the brood-chamber sashes t" The sash-support t is formed of a single piece of wire, the lower ends of the arms 1; '5 being secured in thesliding bottom near its rear corners, and extend upwardly to the forward bends, i" i, at its top, and then across trans versely from bend to bend, and upon the horizontal transverse portion the projecting ends of the top rails of the sashes rest at their rear ends. The forward bendsfl i", of the supporting -wire prevent lateral movement of the sashes on the wire, the lower ends of the vertical rear rails of the sashes being spaced by laterally projecting pins secured in their edges. The lower ends of the front vertical rails of the sashes are provided with pins 7;, which enter holes in the sliding bottom (I to keep them properly spaced. The top rails of the sashes i t are notched at Ya to form ingress and egress openings between the broodchamber and the honey-box chamber. These openings may be closed at any time desired by strips of tin or by an inverted honey-box when it is desired to remove the honey-boxes.

Outside of the projecting ends of the inclined bottom-supports are provided two staples, ZZ, one at each side, for the reception of the legs mm of the removable door gto the brood-chamber. The lower edge of the door 9 rests upon the short cleats upon the inclined bottom, and its upper end is secured in place by a button, it, on the cross-bar 0 above it, so that there are no hooks or hinges used in securing it in place.

The honey box chamber 0 is provided with a removable door, 1), at its front side and a similar removable door, 1), at its rear side, the former connecting with the upper edge of the crossbar c by means of dowel-pins, and the latter connecting with the upper edge of the rear wall of the bodya in a similar manner, The roof q is provided on its under face with a downwardly-projecting flange, T, which fits around the upper ends of the side walls and the doors 1) p, and thus secures these parts removably together without the use of hooks,

hinges, or other fastening. The entrance to the brood-chamber is provided with a sliding screen, .9, secured to the door 9, which may be closed in winter, to prevent the entrance of mice to the brood chamber, and may be opened up in swarming time. The inclined bottom prevents water from entering the brood-chamber. The sashes in the brood-chamber may be removed singly or all at one time. The door 9' may be used as a table, when removed, in transferring honey-comb from one hive to another, and the brood-chamber can be readily divided at any time. The sliding removable bottom is held in place by a couple of nails or pins, set in seats in front of its edge in the upper edges of the projecting ends of the inclined bottom-support, which nails or pins may be readily withdrawn when the bottom needs removing.

I am aware that a removable inclined bottom with sashes removable therewith is not new in bee-hives, and that wire frames for suspending the sashes are also old, and I therefore claim neither of them, broadly.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by r Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a bee-hive, the combination, with the body having an internal inclined bottom-support, with its ends projecting at the front of 0 the hive, of a removable inclined bottom having perforations for the reception of pins in the lower ends of the front vertical rails of the brood-chamber sashes, and a wire sash-support having vertical arms provided with forward bends at their upper ends, and a transverse portion connecting the forward bends,

substantially as specified.

2. In a bee-hive, the combination, with the body of the beehive provided with the removable bottom having the short cleats and wire sash-support, of the removable sashes,

and the removable door to the brood-chamber,

my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OLIVER MARION FOLTZ. Witnesses:

CHARLES STAFFORD, ABRAHAM ROBINSON. 

